Crock Pot Onion Bacon Jam

Bacon onion jam is a slow cooker recipe that makes caramelized onions which then soaks up bacon flavor. Similar to a relish or even an onion marmalade in texture, this slow cooker onion jam is quickly going to be a favorite.

Is “Jam” the right term? It’s hard to say. Jams usually have fruit plus sugar. Bacon and onion jam is a pretty good name– just the sound of those two ingredients has me hungry for more!

Onions are a bulb vegetable so technically we’ve veered off the “jam” path already. That’s ok, once you taste this you won’t mind what it is called. You’ll just want more!

If you haven’t sampled onion bacon jam before you might wonder why you need this condiment in your kitchen.

You’re right, it doesn’t have the most beautiful colors that shine in a photograph and it doesn’t line the grocery store shelves…but you will find many ways to use this combination of onions and bacon.

How to make Bacon Onion Jam:

Cook the bacon and set aside.

Melt the butter then start to caramelize the onions. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer for a short time.

Put the onion mixture and the bacon in the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on low.

Pulse if you wish or leave as is and refrigerate.

This recipe would be made easily in the Instant Pot so that you wouldn’t have to use one saucepan on the stove top and then transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker.

Here are a few ideas to get you started regarding how to use slow cooker onion marmalade:

top brie and crackers with this type of slow cooker bacon jam

layer it in a panini,

add a dollop of slow cooker onion jam to potato soup,

use this onion and bacon relish instead of a red sauce on a pizza

You won’t run out of ideas before you empty your jars of this addicting jam. Here’s a bread I baked with this onion bacon jam– onion bacon fantans. I’d love to hear your ideas too!

Adapted from Martha Stewart Bacon Jam (by adding a lot more onions and a little less bacon)

Read on for this bacon onion jam recipe

Yield: 2 pints

Crock Pot Onion Bacon Jam

You'll find many reasons to use this slow cooker bacon onion jam. No, that isn't a typo-- the secret ingredient is coffee!

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Additional Time3 hours

Total Time3 hours25 minutes

Ingredients

5-6 onions, thinly sliced

1 TB butter

1 pound bacon

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup coffee

Instructions

1. Microwave bacon until crisp. Cool then roughly chop.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the onions. Cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes then add the remaining liquid ingredients. Bring to a full boil then simmer for a few minutes. Add the bacon transfer the mixture to the crock pot. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until jam is thick.

3. Pulse mixture in a food processor 8-10 times or until bacon and onions are in small bits. Keep in the refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe. Play around with the ratio of onions to bacon-- you can't go wrong on either end!

Yummy! This sounds incredible and I bet would taste fantastic slathered on a slice of homemade warm bread. My feet are freezing and I can just picture myself under a blankie and eating the whole jar with crackers or bread.

Hi Ron, Yes, this is Martha Stewart’s recipe with only slight changes and that is why I included the link to her original recipe with the changes I made noted. I didn’t claim for this to my own creation. Please follow the link I included in the post to Martha’s original recipe. You’ll notice the ratio of onions to bacon is different. Thanks for your comment, Holly

Gosh I am sorry to hear that, I know every crock pot is different but, even so, you should still have a thicker consistency after a few hours. Can you double check your measurements? Were you able to bring everything to a boil first on the stove top before adding it to the crock pot? That steps helps to raise the temperature of the mixture and helps the texture change from a liquid to more of jam-like thickness. Let me know if you are able to tweak anything that helps. I am really interested in why this didn’t turn out for you.